You have a great brand that’s practically pulsating with personality. The problem? Your blog looks and sounds like an afterthought. Posts are haphazard and random, and usually about status updates.
Excuse me while I yawn.
I hate to break it to you, but no one cares. There is literally no one asking Google right now, “what’s the status update for <insert name of your site>?”
Here’s why that’s bad: While you’re creating boring blog posts that only your employees read, you’re missing out on an opportunity to answer the questions that people are asking on Google. But guess what? Your competitors are answering those questions and growing their authority.
That should be you! The world needs your valuable insight.
Let’s not squander one more second creating dull, sporadic, uninspired blog posts when your brand is vibrant, smart, and useful. You have a unique point of view to share with your audience, and one of the best ways to do that is through blogging. But how do create a blog that sounds like your brand?
Today, we’re going to discuss how to inject your personality into your company blog, and if you must do status updates, we’re going to make those personable and valuable, too. Let’s get to it!
Define your brand’s personality
Just like people and Cabbage Patch dolls, every brand has a unique personality. Some brands are youthful and effervescent, others are relaxed and easygoing.
Defining your brand personality
So, how do you define your brand’s personality? With the help of your customers.
Here’s a quick and easy task. Send out an email to your subscribers asking them to describe your brand in three words. You can ask the same of your website visitors (via a pop-up form like Wufoo or Survey Monkey).
Use those words to get an idea of what your customers see when they think of your brand. It may surprise you. Use this information to enhance your brand’s personality. If your customers think of you as wacky and irreverent, play that up by adding even more of that type of content to your site.
Of course, you don’t want to get crazy, but think of it more as settling into your unique brand personality. If your customers regard you as a blunt, tell-it-like-it-is type, then infuse more of that into your blog voice. You’re already doing it, but now it’s time to be intentional.
Understanding your audience
The other side of the coin is understanding who you’re speaking to. While your audience may know who you are, do you know who they are?
Crafting the right personality starts with recognizing your audience. Are you speaking to Millennials or Baby Boomers? You’ll need to shift your approach depending on your target demographics.
To be clear on your target audience, create a customer profile. Understand their goals and what they want from you. However, you also need to get who this person is, what they find funny, what cultural references they can relate to, and why they’ve chosen to read your blog. Download our free worksheet to help craft an awesome customer profile.
Now that we’re clear on how to see yourself and your audience, let’s look at how to take the boring out of your blog.
+ Tell a story
Everyone loves a story, and the best way to humanize your brand is through storytelling. This is particularly powerful with how-tos or for giving a hesitant audience a reason to try your service.
Using a person or a business, give your audience a narrative of how to use your product to create a successful outcome. You can also use a case study, but explain it in story form where you introduce the person, the problem, and the solution. Don’t forget to include “once upon a time.” Actually, don’t do that.
Think of how you would explain a subject to your best friend. What metaphors would you use to reel them in and paint the picture?
+ Use first person
If you’re still referring to your brand in third person, do not pass go and do not collect $200. There is no reason on earth to do that within a company blog. Blogs should be informal, friendly, and approachable. They should not be pretentious and self-aggrandizing, which is what happens automatically when you start writing about yourself as “such and such company.”
Make it a point to speak in relatable terms of I, we, and us. It will add relatability to your brand.
+ Speak directly to your audience like a friend
Or at least a friendly colleague. While you shouldn’t be recklessly carefree with your blog readers, you should speak to them and not passively at them. Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
- Can you give us your quick feedback on this topic?
- Feedback is important to us.
Which one would you say to a person face-to-face, if you’re trying to get them to give you feedback? Definitely not the second option.
Remember that on the other side of the computer screen is a real live human that talks just like you do. Write with that in mind.
So many of us think we’re writing to a big crowd of people, when in fact, I’m only writing to one person at a time. In my case, that would be you. Yes, you (singular) who’s reading these words right now. I don’t care about what everyone else is doing, I need to have a meaningful moment with you, while staring into your eyes.
Okay this is getting awkward, but hopefully you understand what I mean.
+ Add images to support your story
They say an image is worth 1000 words, and that’s so true on blog posts. You don’t want to assault your readers with a huge wall of text. For one, that’s boring, and you’ll also be missing out on the opportunity to convey tone.
Back in the day when there were live studio audiences, sitcoms actually had applause signs to tell people when to laugh.
You can do something similar by adding images that hint at your tone. If you’re trying to be funny, add a popular meme. If you want to convey seriousness, add an image that reflects it.
Final Thoughts
Adding personality to your blog is easy when you let loose and embrace who you are as a brand. But, of course, if you need help, we’ll happy to oblige.
